CH 63

“If you just tell me, ‘It’s me, your wife,’ I…”

Unlike the past, he was no longer afraid to the point of wanting to hide his feelings, of showing his relationship with her to others.

But in the back of his head, he could understand why she didn’t want to reveal her identity to him and why she was pretending. With an emotionless expression and a casual gait, Ciel entered the mansion.

The seemingly aloof demeanor was one that he had developed from an early age, and the time he spent in Korea made him seem even more closed-off.

Having constantly lived in environments where showing his emotions could mean life or death, he composed himself and acted like nothing happened.

Still, at this moment, he felt so grateful that he was in the same place as his wife.

* * *

“What? Where did you say he is?”

The crown prince had his head down as he was reading some documents, but right then, he raised his head abruptly, surprised to hear the report of the chief attendant. Because he was asked to repeat himself, the chief attendant once again explained to the crown prince what he had learned today.

“Duke Leopardt brought the Young Duke on a local inspection of the land, and now, they are both at the Closch estate.”

“But isn’t the Closch estate on the western outskirts of the Empire?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What reason does he have to go all the way there?”

“I apologize, but I am not aware of the reason. I shall send a messenger right away to find out the answer, Your Highness.”

Setting down the documents and leaning back against his seat, the crown prince waved one hand.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to go so far.”

Crown Prince Jace recalled the duke, his most trusted friend, who he hadn’t seen for quite some time now. Considering that the last time they met was during the coming-of-age ceremony, he hadn’t even seen the man for more than a month now.

Even if they didn’t need to talk about work, it’s strange not to see him for this long because the duke often stopped by the imperial palace and had private conversations with the crown prince. After all, he was staying at his townhouse in the capital.

In particular, it’s difficult to comprehend why the duke left his residence in the capital at such a crucial time. The saintess had appeared not long ago.

Besides that, he also went back to his own estate first to take Aiden before going on the inspection…

The crown prince was getting worried about the condition of his close friend, who had been acting completely differently as of late.

“Hmm…”

Now that he thought about it, Ciel’s general atmosphere had changed sometime around the coming-of-age ceremony. It was an evident change, because even right before the ceremony, he was seen to be visibly affected about the prophecy delivered by the temple.

Jace thought about how the usually silent and expressionless Ciel couldn’t hide his smile while they talked that day. But right then, he heard someone knocking on his door.

The chief attendant briskly walked towards the door and was about to tell that person to leave, however he was not able to.

Hurrying to Jace’s side while visibly surprised, the chief attendant informed the crown prince of the visitor.

“Your Highness, the Saintess has come to see you.”

“The Saintess?”

Jace, too, couldn’t erase his surprise.

“Tell her to come in.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Unable to hide his awe, the chief attendant opened the door to greet the saintess.

As the saintess, Seo-yoon, entered the room while wearing white robes of the temple, Jace stood up from his seat and welcomed her with a bright smile.

“Saintess, you’re here.”

Despite his position as the crown prince of the empire, he spoke with much politeness towards the saintess. It was a sign of respect for their God, Asteras, and the temple.

Besides that, the saintess was a reverential person to him, and so it was only natural to treat her with high regard.

“Hello, Your Highness.”

Seo-yoon glanced up at him with a shy smile. In return, beneath his eyelashes that shone brightly like gold, eyes glimmering like the clear sky looked at her with 100% favor for her. It’s impossible not to feel thrilled by this.

It was still difficult for her to believe that there were no Guides in this world.

Back in Korea, she was only a C-Class Guide. However, the moment she got to this place, she was being showered with absolute support and was being welcomed with such warmth comparable to the treatment an S-Class Guide would get. She was so satisfied with life here that she didn’t want to return to her original world.

Despite being the empire’s crown prince, Jace went out of his way to accommodate Seo-yoon, hastily ordering the chief attendant.

“Go and get tea and refreshments. Do not forget to select only the finest so that Her Eminence the Saintess can eat comfortably.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please leave it to me.”

As a citizen of the empire who was a devout believer of the nation’s religion, even if the crown prince hadn’t ordered him to do so, the chief attendant already had this intention.

“Saintess, please come this way.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Whenever a handsome man would politely offer his hand to her so as to escort her, Seo-yoon was blinded by the thrill of it all.